VVVrrrrroooooom!

Back on March 30th, I blogged about a storage operator who had concerns about the fact that her income was closely tied to weekly store revenue and the effects increased competition was having on her business. I went on to discuss some unusual, "high-powered" marketing tactics, including mention of one facility using NASCAR sponsorships to enhance its visibility to the public.

Looks like the concept is catching on. Today I see K&M Storage of Dodge City, Kan., won the honor of being named the "Official Small Business of NASCAR, courtesy of Office Depot" for the remainder of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup race season. What a fantastic opportunity! To kick off the celebration, K&M owner Duane Nietling joined NASCAR star Carl Edwards, Roush Racing owner Jack Roush, and Office Depot's senior vice president of marketing, Tony Ueber, to unveil the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion. Bedecked with the K&M logo, the car made its debut on Saturday during the track during the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The Office Depot No. 99 Ford Fusion.

Office Depot driver Carl Edwards.

How did this all happen? K&M entered the Office Depot sweepstakes, which was open to small businesses of no more than 99 employees from February 12 through April 9. Participants could submit an entry at any Office Depot store or at www.officedepotracing.com. It turned out to be a dream come true for this fledgling venture, which opened only 18 months ago and hasn't had a lot to invest in marketing.

Thanks to its total score, the business will receive a year's supply of new business cards, letterhead and envelopes (Nietling worked with Logoworks, part of the Office Depot Copy, Print and Ship service, to create K&M's first-ever company logo). It's also getting a $10,000 small-business makeover from Office Depot, as well as the advice of a small-business expert to help the storage facility take full advantage of its new marketing assets.